Ionic Liquid-Assisted Synthesis of Hierarchical One-Dimensional MoP/NPC for High-Performance Supercapacitor and Electrocatalysis

The development of advanced nanomaterials with multifunctionalities is an intriguing and challenging approach for utilizing clean and sustainable energy. Herein, we demonstrate the construction of a unique hierarchically structured one-dimensional molybdenum phosphide (MoP) through an ionic liquid-assisted synthesis method. Further, encapsulating with an N, P-codoped carbon shell to form a hybrid multifunctional material (MoP/NPC) was performed for the supercapacitor and electrocatalysis. The as-synthesized MoP/NPC nanostructures possessed a large number of active sites and a shorter ionic diffusion length. As a proof-of-concept application, the symmetric all-solid-state supercapacitor device assembled using MoP/NPC delivers a superior-specific capacitance of 544 F g–1 at 0.5 A g–1, a high specific energy of 76 W h kg–1 at a power density of 503 W kg–1, and outstanding cycling stability. Moreover, MoP/NPC also displays excellent electrocatalytic activity and stability toward hydrogen evolution reaction in a wide pH range (0–14). This study demonstrates an effective strategy for developing transition-metal phosphide-based nanomaterials with outstanding electrochemical performance for future energy conversion and storage.